Everything you touch seems to be turning to gold right now, what with the rise to No.2 in the Test bowling ICC rankings and all. How did you find the recent Bangladesh tour and winter generally? 
I bowled very well in Bangladesh on some flat pitches and they’re a far better team than they used to be. It has been a fantastic winter for me and that follows a fantastic Ashes victory which I’m still enjoying. It’s been a great year for me and on the back of that Ashes summer there was a danger that there could be a real let down after that. But the winter has been fantastic. I did well in South Africa and Bangladesh.

Were you ok with captain Andrew Strauss taking a break from the job?
It’s important that Straussy was feeling fresh for the next 18 months and if that meant missing the tour to Bangladesh than that’s fine. Cookie did a great job and I was just glad to get over there and do so well.

How do you see your upcoming schedule going?
The (Twenty20) World Cup is coming in a few weeks and we’re all desperate to win an international trophy (England have never won one). In Twenty20 cricket you always have a chance and we’re confident we can do well. Then, once the Test matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan are over in the summer, there’s the small matter of a tour to Australia. It’s going to be a fantastic year and I’m looking forward to it.

What do England need to do to ensure they retain the Ashes (apart from win)?
We need to keep our momentum going into the summer and ahead of the Ashes. We all know what happened when we went down under last time. We want to be on a roll when we get there. We know we’ll have to play some really good cricket to make sure we’re on fire by the time we get to Australia. We lost 5-0 last time so it can’t really get any worse than that. We’re going over to retain the Ashes and show we can do it. We won them in England and we want to win them over there.

What makes you so confident that there will be no repeat of the 5-0?
This is a different team now. The team we had at the end of the last Ashes was a very good team at the top of their game. If we can play like that there really is no reason why we cannot beat anybody.

Did you see much of the whitewash last time?
When we lost 5-0 I hardly watched any of it. I love my bed too much so if there’s cricket on television from the other side of the world, then I tend to miss it. I can’t even remember what I was doing but this time I’m going to be there and make sure England win. I want to continue my good form. I love playing while I’m playing well and I want that to go on.

You have made some really important contributions with the bat. How much do you enjoy the batting side of your game, as you are now genuine Test an all-rounder?
I especially enjoy my batting and scoring runs. When you’re a kid growing up, let’s be honest, nobody wants to be a bowler. Everyone wants to be a batsman so any chance I get to go out there and play some shots then I’ll do it. My strike rate is quite high and I am a lot less turgid than some of the other guys who are paid to grind them out like Cookie!

You sing in a band. Was that ever a realistic career option?
I was never going to make it as a rock star and I’m really not very good at singing but I love doing it.

Graeme Swann was speaking at an ECB and NatWest-sponsored event to promote cricket at grass roots and recreational level.

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